Do you already know that the number of your sales depends on the quality and quantity of your leads? This article will tell you more about best apps for lead generation. Lead generation is a process that makes possible for businesses to generate a large amount of quality leads. Having recognized this, businesses are constantly looking for ways to optimize their effort in generating leads using mobile devices, social media or other tools.
You know that inbound leads are the best leads. They are warm, don’t run as much, and have already told you they want something you sell. In fact, inbound leads seem like a great deal. You show them something of value, they give you their name and email address, and they start seeing your offers in email. In truth, though, not all inbound leads are created equal.
Most marketing experts are in consensus about lead generation. Because, you don’t have leads – it means you don’t have clients/customers. However, not many people agree on best apps for lead generation. What is more, they often argue that some of these best free lead generation tools are actually worth the cash price.
If you’re a marketer and want to know what the Best Apps for Lead Generation are and if you’re on a budget and you want to know which are the best free lead generation tools then you’re in the right place. First, let me explain what is meant by “best apps for lead generation” and how to identify free lead generation tools that could help you earn more sales leads online.
What is B2C lead generation?
B2C Lead generation is the digital marketing process of building and capturing the consumer’s interest in your product or service with the end goal of creating a sales funnel. Before this point, the consumer may have never heard of your business, but once they give you their contact details, such as an email or a phone number, they become a lead.Why is lead generation important in B2C?
Lead generation is important in B2C as it can help grow your customer database and drive transactions. Through clever lead generation strategies, you will be able to turn visitors into engaged prospects and ultimately into happy customers.How do you generate leads in b2c?
There are many ways you can generate leads in B2C, such as competitions, incentivizing newsletter sign-ups, exit intent pop-ups, content marketing, gated content, using lead capture pages etc
What are the features of lead generation software?
When it comes to shopping for a lead generation system, here are the five key features you should look out for.
Intuitive interface
Even the most powerful software will be ineffective in your hands if you can’t use it. Marketing teams are experts in marketing, not web development. Look for lead generation programs with an intuitive interface and multiple options for training. Then anyone on your team can use it without suffering technical headaches.
Integrations
You’re probably already using business apps, so any lead generation software you decide on should include integrations. This will allow you to share data between your lead generation system and your CRM, email apps, and other business-related platforms you’re currently using.
Integrating your lead generation software with your other platforms eliminates the need to constantly switch browsers. Or double-check your data between platforms to make sure it’s accurate.
Analytics
Having accurate and up-to-date data is vital to strategizing better business practices. Any lead generation software you invest in should have a comprehensive analytics and reporting feature. That way you can always have an eye on the numbers. This lets you make data-driven decisions for improvement, and identify where you’re falling short of your goals.
Automation
Automation saves huge amounts of time by responding to leads, analyzing data, and prioritizing leads. You don’t have to automate every task on your to-do list. But having the option means more control over how your teams are spending their time.
Customer relationship management
In your search for lead gen software, you’ll probably come across something called CRM software — customer relationship management. Lead generation is often included as a feature of CRM. Because it all falls under the umbrella of nurturing customers in your sales pipeline and building a loyal customer base.
If you’re worried that CRM sounds too big for you at the moment, don’t be. CRM for small businesses is specifically designed to scale with you. While still providing all the benefits of lead generation, contact management, and sales tracking.
Most CRM platforms will let you add on features as you grow. Meaning you can pick and choose which features you can afford to invest in at any given time.
What are the benefits of using lead generation tools?
Improved customer insight
Your customers aren’t just going to tell you what they’re thinking. You need to ask the right questions and gather the right data to better understand their pain points. And why they are (or aren’t) buying from you.
Lead generation programs allow you to quickly capture more useful data from your potential customers. With better insight into why people show interest in your product or service in the first place, you can lean into the features that people like the most. The better you understand your customers, the better you can tailor your sales pitch and pipeline to their specific needs.
Better qualified leads
Having more leads isn’t always a good thing. More leads means more work, and if most of your leads are cold or lukewarm, you’ll end up working harder for smaller returns.
Lead generation software uses lead scoring to analyze customer data and identify the ones who are most likely to buy from you. It tracks their engagement, personal information, and interactions with your company to determine who’s really worth your time and effort.
Calculating lead value lets you reach out to the best qualified leads faster. While you’re still fresh in their minds. And that sets aside the people who were just browsing.
Refined marketing tactics
With powerful analytics reporting, your team will be able to see exactly which marketing campaigns brought in the highest value leads. With this information, you can continue to build campaigns that resonate with the most qualified leads. Then you’ll attract even more high value customers, and minimize time waste with cold leads.
Save time across the board
All of this adds up to time saved. Lead generation provides your sales reps with the most relevant customer information so they don’t have to spend hours researching leads. Furthermore, your sales reps will spend less time chasing after cold leads. That means more time following-up on the ones who have already ticked off multiple boxes.
Fishing in murky waters isn’t a good use of your time. Guesswork drains your resources, wasting valuable hours and manpower. Imagine your business is a fishing operation. Using a lead generation system would be like seeing exactly where the biggest fish swim, what they like to eat, and when they’re most ready to feast. And that would most certainly put you ahead of the competition.
What types of lead generation are there?
There are two principal types of lead generation software: outbound lead generation, and inbound lead generation. Some lead generation programs will include features for both categories, while others might narrow their focus to just one.
Before committing to a lead generation platform, ask yourself some important questions about how you’re currently finding leads. And how you want to find them in the future. The best approach is to invest in software that includes features for both inbound and outbound lead generation. So you can combine the two approaches for maximum effect.
Outbound lead generation
With outbound lead generation, you initiate contact with people who have little or no knowledge of your company. This involves activities like cold calling, sales prospecting emails, direct mailing, and live events.
Outbound lead generation is more typical when it comes to B2B sales. This is because whatever you’re selling is designed to help people make money. That already puts you in a good position to snag their attention.
Outbound lead generation is labor-intensive. But it’s a tried-and-true method of gaining attention from people who otherwise would never hear of your product. It’s also a good way of getting your brand into people’s heads before the competition.
Sometimes the people who need your product or service most aren’t putting themselves in your way, so you have to go to them.
Here are some features you’ll find included in outbound lead generation platforms:
- Sales dialer
- Contact management software
- Pay-per-click advertising
- Sales CRM
- Sales recording
- Templates for sales emails
- Email automation
Inbound lead generation
Inbound lead generation involves creating content and advertising that motivates potential buyers to reach out to you. It’s more popular with B2C industries, where “salesy” tactics can sometimes seem disingenuous or pushy.
Most inbound lead generation activity is digital, which means it tends to be more cost-effective. But inbound lead generation involves waiting for people to find you and reach out, which means they might also be reaching out to the competition at the same time.
With inbound lead generation, you’re constructing materials that organically attract leads to you. If you’re looking for software with inbound lead generation tools, keep an eye out for these features:
- Landing page building
- Web forms
- Live chatbots
- Survey forms
- Visitor tracking
- Content creation & delivery
1. Zendesk Sell
Zendesk Sell offers built-in sales engagement tools including lead gen, prospecting, and enrichment solutions. These features let your sales people ditch the tedious tasks and bet back to crushing their quotas. Sell lets you create targeted prospect lists for multiple channels and build custom templates so you can create a surplus of leads and engage contacts with a personalized touch.
Features
- Lead qualification
- Sales pipeline
- Custom templates
- Lead capture
- Lead distribution
2. Unbounce
Unbounce is a lead landing page platform for ecommerce, SaaS, and agencies, with features for building landing pages, pop-ups, and sticky bars.
Features
- Customizable templates
- Form builder
- Real-time editing
- Reporting/analytics
- SEO management
3. Leadpages
Leadpages is a landing page builder program for small businesses that hosts features for creating landing pages, pop-ups, alert bars, and includes 40+ integrations.
Features
- Form builder
- Pre-built templates
- SEO management
- AB testing
- Data import/export
4. Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a lead management and CRM platform for sales teams that included pipeline management and code-free development.
Features
- Call recording
- Lead capture
- Content delivery
- Customer segmentation
- Calendar/reminder system
5. HubSpot
HubSpot is a CRM for growing teams. It offers lead management features as well as contact and campaign management functions.
Features
- Performance metrics
- Pipeline management
- Prospecting tools
- Lead qualification
- Lead nurturing
6. Agile CRM
AgileCRM is a customer relations and auto-dialer program for small to mid-sized sales and marketing teams.
Features
- A/B testing
- Automated routing
- Appointment management
- Blended call center
- Call logging
7. CallPage
Callpage is a sales call platform for B2B, B2C, and ecommerce companies with outbound lead management features including auto-dialer and live chat.
Features
- Lead distribution
- Dashboard
- Call list management
- Contact database
- Lead capture
8. AeroLeads
AeroLeads is a prospect generation program for finding individual and business contact information.
Features
- Pipeline management
- Prospecting tools
- Lead qualification
- Lead capture
- Lead database integration
9. Vainu
Vainu is a European-based lead generation platform with sales intelligence and prospecting tools for businesses across all industries.
Features
- Lead verification/validation
- Pipeline management
- Contact database
- Lead capture
- Data import/export
10. LeadFuze
LeadFuze is a contact-finder for salespeople, recruiters, and marketers, and includes features like lead verification and segmentation.
Features
- Prospecting tools
- Contact database
- Lead distribution
- Lead nurturing
- Lead qualification
11. LinkeLead
LinkeLead is a lead generation platform specifically built to search through LinkedIn Sales Navigator for clients, partners, and businesses.
Features
- Contact database
- Data import/export
- Lead nurturing
- Lead segmentation
- Prospecting tools
12. LeadsBridge
LeadsBridge is a lead generation program for advertising agencies, retailers, financial services, and real estate businesses. It includes social media marketing tools, and offers 350+ integrations.
Features
- Lead capture
- Lead nurturing
- Data import/export
- Lead management
- Lead segmentation
13. OptinMonster
OptinMonster is a lead generation tool for small businesses, bloggers, marketing agencies, and eCommerce websites.
Features
- Prospecting tools
- Lead capture
- Lead segmentation
- Email integration
14. MaxTraffic
MaxTraffic is a marketing platform that includes features for customer profiling, exit intent, promotional overlays, and analytics.
Features
- A/B testing
- Customizable CTAs
- Drip campaigns
- Lead capture
- Geotargeting
15. LeadFeeder
LeadFeeder is a lead generation platform for B2B businesses that lets your salespeople track website visits and see where they came from.
Features
- Engagement tracking
- Source tracking
- Lead notifications
- Prospecting tools
- CRM
16. Sumo
Sumo is an email marketing tool for eCommerce businesses that offers multiple integrations including MailChimp, Shopify, and Campaign Monitor.
Features
- A/B testing
- Subscriber management
- Templates
- Conversion tracking
- Campaign management
How to select the best lead generation program?
Every business is unique, so you have to be selective about which software programs you integrate into your daily workflow. Before committing the time and money to learning a new platform, create a lead generation plan by asking yourself the following questions.
- Are you primarily engaging in inbound or outbound lead generation?
- What are your current goals?
- Who is your target audience?
- Where are you currently finding most of your leads?
- How are you currently scoring your leads?
- Which channels are you getting the most engagement from?
- Which channels aren’t you using?
- Are you currently creating engagement content like blogs, videos, and e-books? If not, do you plan to in the future?
Conclusion
Lead generation is a great way to get your business off the ground. It can be achieved on many levels and these days, as you’re no doubt well aware, there are a tremendous range of free apps for lead generation and other lead generation tools. You only have to do some research in order to turn up an endless number of choices, however, for when you’re just starting out as a company it’s not always easy to know what works best and what will suit your needs.
Competing for consumer attention requires constant effort. But even the most dedicated teams can find it tough to identify and engage with the right customers. Every day, businesses change addresses and phone numbers, contacts leave organizations, and new companies are started.